Optic cup morphogenesis: A model to study the cellular and molecular bases of basal constriction

Juan Ramón Martínez-Morales, from the Centro Biologia del Desarrollo in Sevilla, Spain, is studying cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the morphogenesis of the vertebrate eye. Using zebrafish (Danio rerio) and medaka (Oryzias latipes) as genetic model systems, he investigates the intrinsic machinery driving the inward folding of the polarized retinal neuroepithelium. In particular he focuses on developmental regulators operating directly on cell adhesion, cell shape or cell contractility. He uses a combination of genetic, transcriptomic, bioinformatic and cell biological approaches, as well as exploring the biophysical aspects of the morphogenetic process using live imaging and mathematical modelling. He has been invited by Cristina Pujades (UPF).